1993 Peugeot 306 XLD "Liverpool Airport"

[Tenmil Socket]

14 hours ago, Blake's Den said:

I decided to do a bit of rust investigation on the 306 tonight. I know that their achillees heel is the passenger side C-post. Dirt gets flung up into a dirt trap which causes rust right next to the seat belt mounting. I carefully peeled away the plastic trim and saw some rust. After all this car has lived by the Mersey estuary for over a decade.

After removing the panel I was quite surprised:

A quick pass with the wire wheel, some rust converter and some paint and I think it will be fine.

Better than the one on this post: 

Screenshot for the lazy 

Firstly, well done on the save (thank you). Secondly, probably not at the top of your priority list right now but, is there a way to inspect the inside of that C pillar?

[Blake's Den]

56 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Firstly, well done on the save (thank you). Secondly, probably not at the top of your priority list right now but, is there a way to inspect the inside of that C pillar?

I'm going to see if I can get an inspection mirror in there somehow. Or possibly invest in an inspection camera.

[RoadworkUK]

1 hour ago, Tenmil Socket said:

....Secondly, probably not at the top of your priority list right now but, is there a way to inspect the inside of that C pillar?

I've peered behind the panelling on our three door, but when I realised just how much disassembly was required for proper access it suddenly occurred to me that "well, the MOT man never looks there, so perhaps I'll just live in blissful ignorance".

[Lankytim]

My local retro scrappies here in Stoke has had a big clear out and has crushed a few of these but this sole survivor remains. Any use? 

[Blake's Den]

4 minutes ago, Lankytim said:

My local retro scrappies here in Stoke has had a big clear out and has crushed a few of these but this sole survivor remains. Any use? 

There are plenty of useable bits there. Where abouts in Stoke is it?

[Lankytim]

17 minutes ago, Blake's Den said:

There are plenty of useable bits there. Where abouts in Stoke is it?

It’s in Brindley Ford at the top of Stoke. I’ve been quoted £40 for the tailgate and the rear door glass both sides. I’ll PM you the details if you’re interested. 

[dozeydustman]

On 12/06/2025 at 21:32, loserone said:

I find the seating position in most Peugeots to be too low.  I am a bit fat but they're distinctly uncomfortable for anyone with a bit of a belly.

I'm tall and a bit fat. The 306 I had was one of the most comfortable cars I owned, I could drive it for hours. The 205 is snug, but roomier than many cars of its class.

Fords and Mercs I find cramped and uncomfortable. YMMV

[Blake's Den]

I've been able to source a couple of windows for a sensible price of eBay. They arrived intact so I had a go at installing them:

Installation was quite straightforward. There was a lot of broken glass inside the door, I vacuumed out as much as I could but I reckon that there are still some bits in there which will cause an annoying rattle.

Thanks to all of those who have reached out to me regarding the boot/tailgate. I've still not decided whether I'm going down the phase 1 or phase 2 route yet.

 

[Lacquer Peel]

On 27/06/2025 at 16:24, dozeydustman said:

I'm tall and a bit fat. The 306 I had was one of the most comfortable cars I owned, I could drive it for hours. The 205 is snug, but roomier than many cars of its class.

Fords and Mercs I find cramped and uncomfortable. YMMV

Tall and fat here, I couldn't get on with the slightly offset driving position which gave me backache. 

Suspension and seat comfort are good, the driving position not so much. 

[alcyonecorporation]

i am just fat 

[N Dentressangle]

Spotted this nice XLD for sale, in case any of the pics help as a reference point:

https://www.facebook.com/share/15bkAf6T2r/

[Blake's Den]

5 hours ago, N Dentressangle said:

Spotted this nice XLD for sale, in case any of the pics help as a reference point:

https://www.facebook.com/share/15bkAf6T2r/

Mmmmm!

I've seen that obe listed before for half of that price. It does look good though. It is identical to the one that I used to have 

[RoadworkUK]

What a beautiful thing. An acute reminder that mine (hers, really...) – with 200K+ on it, lacquer peel galore and a cat N marker on it – is worth basically the value of mixed metals.

Might as well keep it a bit longer, then.

[Blake's Den]

I've been making some more progress. The passenger side mirror was badly damaged and in the glovebox which wasn't ideal! I managed to get a replacement quite easily off eBay and fitting was straight forward. You can still buy new old stock mirrors but as the plastic hasn't aged I concluded that it wouldn't look right.

Off camera I have freed up the sunroof so that it tilts and slides. I wasn't sure if it would slide due to the fittings for the roof beacon but it works just fine. It does require some adjustment as it is not sitting level when shut, the Haynes manual helpfully tells me that this is a job for the dealer to do.....

I also need to unblock the sunroof drains as I suspect they are what has caused the rust in the roof area.

[Blake's Den]

More progress on the 'scrap' Peugeot.

I managed to pick up this white phase 1 boot lid the other day. It was almost exactly what I was looking for. It is off a Slalom special edition which is one of those base models with a fancy name. So no rear wiper, no central locaking but with the D Turbo / XS spoiler.

Fitting was relatively straigh forward. I will need to swap the wiring loom over from the old boot lid so that I can have the wiper and central locking. The window is already drilled for the rear wiper, there is a blanking grommet installed where the wiper would usually be.

Overall I'm happy with the fit. The panel gaps look good with only a small amount of mis-alignment on the trailing edge. I can live with that.

Here is the video of the install - like, comment, subscribe etc!

In other news I have been looking into the sunroof. A quick blast with the air line showed that the drains weren't blocked. A quick test with the watering can sowed something wasn't right! The passenger side drain pipe had become disconnected and there was a pin hole in the frame which was causing water to escape into the head linining. Both were an easy fix and now it seals and drains correctly. The only problem is that the position of the closed sun roof isn't quite right. You have to push it up a bit to get the closure perfect. Somerthing to look at in another video......

 

[Tenmil Socket]

3 hours ago, Blake's Den said:

More progress on the 'scrap' Peugeot.

I managed to pick up this white phase 1 boot lid the other day. It was almost exactly what I was looking for. It is off a Slalom special edition which is one of those base models with a fancy name. So no rear wiper, no central locaking but with the D Turbo / XS spoiler.

Fitting was relatively straigh forward. I will need to swap the wiring loom over from the old boot lid so that I can have the wiper and central locking. The window is already drilled for the rear wiper, there is a blanking grommet installed where the wiper would usually be.

Overall I'm happy with the fit. The panel gaps look good with only a small amount of mis-alignment on the trailing edge. I can live with that.

Here is the video of the install - like, comment, subscribe etc!

In other news I have been looking into the sunroof. A quick blast with the air line showed that the drains weren't blocked. A quick test with the watering can sowed something wasn't right! The passenger side drain pipe had become disconnected and there was a pin hole in the frame which was causing water to escape into the head linining. Both were an easy fix and now it seals and drains correctly. The only problem is that the position of the closed sun roof isn't quite right. You have to push it up a bit to get the closure perfect. Somerthing to look at in another video......

 

Great work so far, keep it up.

Where are you located?

[Blake's Den]

5 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Great work so far, keep it up.

Where are you located?

Cheshire - it hasn't travelled too far from home!

[Tenmil Socket]

14 hours ago, Blake's Den said:

Cheshire - it hasn't travelled too far from home!

I was going to say it would be an odd site was it to be further afield! 

[bangernomics]

Do they not have the two long sprung guides either side at the front? Maybe they have got a bit lazy, will also keep a look out for you when I get back to my Cheshire based winter retreat.

[Blake's Den]

1 hour ago, bangernomics said:

Do they not have the two long sprung guides either side at the front? Maybe they have got a bit lazy, will also keep a look out for you when I get back to my Cheshire based winter retreat.

Thanks. I think that part of the sunroof mechanism is either bent or broken. It definitely needs further investigation 

[Blake's Den]

I've done a bit more poking around with a point stick on the 306. It definetly needs some welding on the roof and around the nearside rear quarter panel. I'm not too phased by this, it is well within in my capabilities. Of course, I have already had a comment to say that it is too far gone! From some of the photos that I have seen of hideous corrosion on 306's I think that I have got off lightly.

Note the click-bait thumbnail to get the views up!

There is some corrosion underneath but nothing too major. If that needs welding it looks easy enough to do.

I've swapped things around and got the 306 in the garage now so that I can work on it during these cold, dark, wet winter nights, It was a squeeze but it fits.

 

[comfortablynumb]

Might not work for you @Blake's Den, but one trick I've used for working on cars in small areas is to remove the doors.

Makes access much easier, of course it only works if you need to get inside frequently, and you've actually got somewhere to store the doors 😁

[Blake's Den]

2 hours ago, comfortablynumb said:

Might not work for you @Blake's Den, but one trick I've used for working on cars in small areas is to remove the doors.

Makes access much easier, of course it only works if you need to get inside frequently, and you've actually got somewhere to store the doors 😁

Thats a good idea, I might have to give that a go. Thanks

[Blake's Den]

Happy new year!

I've been making the most of the Christmas break by getting some welding done on the 306. The light rust on the rear quarter panel didn't survive a hit with the hammer and resulted in a big hole. Still, I think that I got off lightly compared to some of the 306 rust horror stories that I have seen.

My plan is to do the absolute minimum to get this back on the road and then treat it to a rolling restoration. Hopefully it will be ready for some shows in spring time.

The next task is to tackle the rusty roof. It makes sense to do this before the windscreen is replaced.

 

[Tenmil Socket]

6 hours ago, Blake's Den said:

Happy new year!

I've been making the most of the Christmas break by getting some welding done on the 306. The light rust on the rear quarter panel didn't survive a hit with the hammer and resulted in a big hole. Still, I think that I got off lightly compared to some of the 306 rust horror stories that I have seen.

My plan is to do the absolute minimum to get this back on the road and then treat it to a rolling restoration. Hopefully it will be ready for some shows in spring time.

The next task is to tackle the rusty roof. It makes sense to do this before the windscreen is replaced.

 

What’s the C pillar like on the other side or does the filler neck limit any corrosion?

[Blake's Den]

11 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

What’s the C pillar like on the other side or does the filler neck limit any corrosion?

It is rock solid, I show it in the video.

I think that the filler neck blocks all of the dirt and grime from getting trapped. No idea what this does to the filler neck though! I assume that it is plastic so will be unaffected. I'm sure I'll find out the first time that I brim the tank.

(I had this problem with my Santa Fe, I brimmed that tank and it started leaking out of the filler neck! It turned out that a rat had eaten away at the rubber)

[Blake's Den]

Thank you for the 306 love, it is motivating me even more to get this car back onto the road.

Today I have been adding lightness by cutting out some of the rust in the roof. It is a little bit more than I wanted but it is all fixable.

I want to put some kind of cavity wax on the inside of the roof. This raises a question to the AS massive:

Is there a not smelly and non staining cavity wax suitable for use on internal panels?

I've previously used Lanonguard but I don't want my car to smell of sheep. Similarly I have used Bilthamber Dynax UB but that stuff, as good as it is, does whiff a fair bit too.

I have access to the inside of the roof skin via a hole in the headlining for the flashing light.

[Blake's Den]

Here is the video of roof repairs. I'm quite pleased at how it turned out. 

I got as far as putting a skim of filler on the repairs but that's when my back started playing up so I stopped. I'm not looking forward to the sanding back, applying filler and repeating until it looks have decent! I'll probably end up doing it so it looks good enough and then I can always revisit it sometime in the future.

I need to keep focused on the task of getting it back on the road ASAP, this is my priority. Once it it road worthy it will become a rolling restoration.

 

[MJK 24]

On 02/01/2026 at 15:36, Blake's Den said:

Thank you for the 306 love, it is motivating me even more to get this car back onto the road.

Today I have been adding lightness by cutting out some of the rust in the roof. It is a little bit more than I wanted but it is all fixable.

I want to put some kind of cavity wax on the inside of the roof. This raises a question to the AS massive:

Is there a not smelly and non staining cavity wax suitable for use on internal panels?

I've previously used Lanonguard but I don't want my car to smell of sheep. Similarly I have used Bilthamber Dynax UB but that stuff, as good as it is, does whiff a fair bit too.

I have access to the inside of the roof skin via a hole in the headlining for the flashing light.

The smell from Bilt Hamber is initially strong but you can’t smell it after a week so I think I’d use that.

Good luck with the rest!

[Dan302]

I'm on nights so I'll be watching that tomorrow with a coffee when I've woken up!